Ukrainian gets 8year sentence for running marketplace for Americans data

pppA Ukrainian citizen was sentenced to eight years in US prison for administering a marketplace that sold the personal information of millions of AmericansppVitalii Chychasov 37 was arrested in March of last year while attempting to enter Hungary and was later extradited to the USppChychasov previously agreed to forfeit 5 million in proceeds from SSNDOB for Social Security number and date of birth a series of websites that sold personal information including names dates of birth and Social Security numbers belonging to individuals in the USppThe marketplace was shut down in June of last year In total it generated 19 million in sales and impacted about 24 million people across the USppAccording to court records Chychasov and other administrators advertised their websites on dark web criminal forums provided customer support and regularly monitored the activities of the websites including when purchasers deposited money into their accountsppThe administrators tried to stay anonymous by maintaining servers in various countries and requiring buyers to use digital paymentsppIn addition to Social Security numbers the SSNDOB sold email addresses passwords and credit card numbers according to blockchain analysis firm Chainalysis It also had ties to other popular stolen credential marketplaces like Jokers Stash a large darknet market that offered stolen credit card information and other information before it was shut down in January 2021ppThe data sold on SSNDOB websites could allow hackers to commit a variety of frauds including tax fraud unemployment insurance fraud loan fraud and credit card fraud according to the statement by the US Attorneys OfficeppInvestigators said that sales on the marketplace skyrocketed during the early stages of the COVID19 pandemic when federal and state governments began disbursing funds to American businesses and families in response to the emergencyppDaryna Antoniuk
is a freelance reporter for Recorded Future News based in Ukraine She writes about cybersecurity startups cyberattacks in Eastern Europe and the state of the cyberwar between Ukraine and Russia She previously was a tech reporter for Forbes Ukraine Her work has also been published at Sifted The Kyiv Independent and The Kyiv Postpp Copyright 2023 The Record from Recorded Future Newsp